The Start of Love
by Chiyoko's Charms
Summary: Zoom is a boy who always get beat up by his step-dad. He thought he was going to die until a new girl from school came and turned his world upside down.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! This is my first story on hot wheels and I know some of the characters are mixed up, but this is my story kay? So enjoy!**

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I woke up from my bed. I could feel my bruises on my whole body. I got beaten by my step-father again last night. He did it every day. Like a ritual. And I couldn't do anything about it because he would do something horrible to Zen, my little brother. I don't know what he's going to do. Rape him? Kill him? I don't know. And I can't tell anybody or Zen would get it.

He's my step-father because my real dad got into a car crash when I was 10 and so my mother remarried. Not a good choice if you ask me. Especially because she married a strong martial arts fighter. She married him thinking that her children need someone to teach them martial arts. Just like my father did. But how wrong she was. She herself died because of a heart attack. Leaving me with my ass of a father. That was when he started picking on me. He could have just tortured both me and Zen but he knew Zen was popular and had many friends in school while I was a loner. So he picked on me.

I pushed myself from my bed. I washed my face, took a bath, used make-up (to hide my bruises) and changed my clothes. I grabbed my things and started down the stairs and greeted Zen and my father. I had to look normal and not beaten or else my secret's out. I just can't stand the pain.

I ate like I usually do and waited for Zen to finish. We said our goodbyes to my father and left for the bus. We got in and Zen sat at the front with everybody while I sat at the back alone. 'Alone' is enough company I guess.

I looked out the bus window and saw children smiling and playing happily with their parents. I was like that too once. But not anymore…

The bus skidded to a halt when we arrived at school. Better get to class. And another day of being invisible starts again.

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**A/N: So how was it? Wasn't really long. But hey! This is just the beginning. More entertainment will come later! Hope you like it. Pliss review! Tell me how you like the introduction. I can't really write that well yet so please support!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's my second chapter. Hope you like this one!**

I walked down the corridor. Nobody was bothering me or anything. Good.

I rounded a corner and bumped to someone. I fell back, the same goes to the person who bumped me.

I rubbed my head "Ow…"

"Sorry, sorry, oh I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to. I'm just clumsy and…" the person kept continuing and not stopping. But from the sound of the voice, I'll say it's a girl.

I looked up and saw a girl with long dark brown hair. I couldn't see her eyes though. She was looking down and gathering her books.

I helped her gather her books and she looked up. I nearly gasped. Her eyes were like real emeralds. They were green and they shone in the light.

"Thanks" she said, standing up.

"No problem" I said, shaking my head, trying to get my thoughts off her eyes. I gave her her books.

"I'm so sorry that I bumped you. I really didn't mean to. Are you okay? Are you hurt?" she started.

I shook my head "No. But I think I'm going to get a bump though"

She widened her eyes. "Oh, I'm so so so sorry. It's my fault. I hope it doesn't hurt much."

"Actually, it doesn't hurt at all"

She began to panic "Oh, what will your parents say?"

My eyes darkened at her words. She must have noticed this and changed the subject.

"I'm sorry, I haven't introduced myself." She smiled. Her smiled seemed to be like the sunshine and warm anybody's cold heart.

"I'm Emerald. Emerald Hikaru. And you are?"

"Zoom Takazumi" I answered shortly.

She nodded.

"Are you new here?" I asked, curious about her.

I surprised myself. I haven't been this curious since ages. I wasn't even interested in anything anymore since…the accident.

She nodded. "I just moved here. I like to travel around the world see."

"Oh" I answered. Nothing else to ask then.

"Ok. See ya" I said walking away.

She stood there, a little bit shocked, but shook her head and continued walking.

I shook my head and continued to class.

What made me so attracted to her?

**Sorry it's short but as I told you in the first chapter, the fun begins later! Gotta go! See ya!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Yes, I know that Emerald isn't a character from the BF5 but just stick with me.**

**Continue on folks!**

What had made me so attracted to Emerald? Like I want to know more about her and ask her where she lives. Oh god Zoom! You're turning mad! But, I have to say, she is kind of beautiful. Her slim body, her smooth hair, her gorgeous smile that can make you melt and god! Her eyes! They were so…enchanting. She… she was like an angel. Like an angel that fell from the sky just for me. For me…

There I go again! Talking crazy! Seriously Zoom! You just met her just now! How do you even know her hair is smooth? Stupid! And people will think you're crazy, talking to yourself. But, I am already crazy, talking to myself about Emerald. Argh! Why Emerald of all people? That's it! All things about Emerald, please go out so I can think clearly!

I shook my head crazily. I shouldn't be like this! I walked faster and reached my class. The sooner I learn, the sooner I'll stop thinking about her.

I sat in my lonely seat. (A/N: The tables were all for two people and Zoom sits alone)

What did I do to deserve this?

"Quiet down class" The teacher instructed. I didn't even see him come in. Actually, I don't even know his name!

"Today, we're having a new student" he continued.

Oh no, don't tell me.

"Come in" the teacher ordered.

The door opened to show a girl with dark brown hair cascading down her back with a green clip to go on with it. She was wearing sneakers and a light green blouse and jeans. But the most familiar thing was her eyes. Her eyes were the color of emeralds.

Yep, you guessed it. It was Emerald. Luck is never on my side.

"Class, meet Emerald Hikaru. She is an exchange student. She goes around the world. Please treat her nicely" the teacher informed.

She just smiled to everybody. She must have known that every boy except for me was drooling. She didn't show this but I saw her eyes were scanning the classroom for something, or rather, someone.

"You will sit beside…" the teacher said looking around the classroom.

Please not me, please not me, please not me, I prayed silently.

But as I told you, luck is never on my side.

"You'll sit beside Zoom Takazumi. Takazumi, raise your hand" the teacher concluded.

I could feel most of the jealous, angry and sad eyes from the whole male population but I didn't care and just raised my hand.

She came up to me and sat down beside me.

The teacher didn't notice this and, continued class.

The teacher is really clueless, isn't he?

Half way through class, I felt something being passed to me. I looked up and saw a folded piece of pink paper.

I looked around and saw Emerald smiling at me. I could feel heat rushing to my cheeks when she smiled at me like that.

I opened the note and read it. It said,

**Dear Zoom,**

**Such a coincidence to be in the same class and sit on the same table, right? It's so nice to know that I have at least one friend in class. I don't have many friends often since I travel so much. I hope that you take me as a friend right? After all, you don't look like you have many friends here. Can we talk after school? You can come to my house if you want. Do you want to come over? It's okay if you don't but feel free if you want to. You'll come right?**

**Love, Emerald**

Her house? Today? Uhm…How about a NO!

I'll get beaten up even worse and who knows what he'll do to me?

I sent her a look that said "Sorry, but I can't or something bad'll happen"

She sent me a reassuring glance back.

I felt calmer then. Wow. She sure can make someone feel better.

~At gym class~

"Class, today we're going to learn to defend yourself and attack your opponent" Mr. Ikara said.

It's gym time, the only class that I like, can do best, and know who's the teacher. So basically, I don't like other subjects, I'm the best in this class, and I have no idea of the names of the other school teachers except for Mr. Ikara.

Of course since it's gym we had to change. The boys wore shorts and a t-shirt while the girls wore skinny leggings and a top. Like dancing class.

"So it's fighting today?" A girl asked.

Bah! A girl, they would even scream when they break a nail! How girly is that?

Mr. Ikara furrowed his eyebrow "No. It's about defending yourself in time of needs. So it's probably Muay Thali fighting. Any other questions?"

Since no one asked anymore questions, he continued.

"I need 2 students to volunteer showing the class how to fight and defend."

He turned to the boys. "Boys? How about you Zoom?"

I nodded and went to the front.

I only let him call him by my first name, not by my family name like other teachers. And he's the only teacher who knows that I can fight.

Screw other teachers.

"Anybody else?" he asked, looking at all the students.

I saw someone raise a hand "Ok, can you fight?"

I think the person nodded, 'cause I didn't hear a voice.

"Ok. You"

The person came forward and I nearly gasped.

It was Emerald!

My eyes weren't tricking me right? She can fight? She isn't scared to break her nail? (A/N: I know it's really ridiculous, but that's what Zoom knows about girls. Sorry for disturbing, continue…)

She was still pretty even though it's gym. She was wearing the dress code for gym, but her hair was tied up in a bun.

Mr. Ikara came and told us to each stand at one end of the mat. He told everybody the rules and what to do.

"Ok. I told you how to do it, now bow low" he explained.

We did.

"Now take a fighting stance"

We did.

"And…Start!"

And we did.

I wanted to go easy on her though. She didn't attack, so I did.

I threw a punch at her and she stopped it. I pulled back and tried to kick her from below and make her trip, but she jumped when I was swiping.

She was good. Time to bring it up a new level.

I jumped into the air and tried to kick her from above but to no avail. She caught my foot before it hit her and twisted it. I twisted my body in the same direction she twisted my leg. As I twisted, I brought my other feet up and wanted to kick her to push her back. But again, I didn't get her. She let go of my feet and somersaulted backwards. Kicking me back by doing so.

She was good to do that. No girl can ever fight with me. Time to fight in advance.

This time, it was her who attacked. She ran towards me and tried to hit me with her arm from the side, I stopped her with my arm and she tried doing it from the other side, but I stopped her again. I let go and she did a high jump and kicked me and pushed me back.

I inspected her, she wasn't even sweating or panting. She looked as if she has just been walking. I guess she knows I was going easy on her, that's why she went easy on me too. I guess I have to go full-force then.

She moved back, as if knowing my move. I ran towards her while screaming and tried to give her a strong punch. Knowing that she can't stop it, she dodged it and when I wanted to kick her, she dodged it by doing a full split.

She was just tired of the easy match I guess. 'Cuz she put her hands on my shoulders and jumped over me. She was really light, especially when she put all her weight on my shoulders. She still kept a grip on my shoulders, and kicked me at the back so I fell. She ran towards me when I stood up. I punched at her, but she stopped it and brought it around my back, she jumped high and landed on my back, thus I was on the ground.

"Game. Set. Match. Winner" Mr. Ikara said pointing at Emerald.

Many gasps can be heard and a lot of murmuring. Yeah right! See if I care.

She got of me and we bowed.

I don't think I'm going to get any new bruises though. All her attacks were so soft. And when she landed on me, she was as light as a feather. And I think she purposely made me fall down softly so I won't get hurt. But why?

~At lunch~

"Can I eat with you Zoom?"

I looked up. It was Emerald. I'm sitting under the cherry blossom tree eating my lunch when she suddenly came.

"Why me?" I raised a brow.

"Why you?" She looked confused.

I sighed "Why not with those bulky jocks and those noisy girls?"

She sat down beside me under the cherry tree.

"Because A) Those girls are noisy. B) They're all annoying. C) They just want me to hook them together. D) They scream and cry so much when they break a nail and E) They're so full of themselves which is stupid."

I looked at her. I can't believe that she said all that. I thought she would be with the popular ones instead of the invisible and lonely one. Was she hated by all the popular ones? Maybe that's why she moves around a lot.

I was so deep in thought that she had to wave her hand in front of my face.

"Zoom?" I was snapped out of my thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"So can I?"

"Can you what?" I asked blankly.

She laughed.

"What's so funny? Is there something on my face?"

"N-n-no" she giggled.

She was laughing so hard, that she had to hold her stomach.

"So what is it?"

"You-you were s-so l-lost in thought! W-W-What were y-you thin-thinking about?" she bursted.

I blushed a deep red. You.

"I was asking if I can I eat lunch with you?" she finally said.

I blushed redder (If that was even possible). I totally forgot that she was asking me if she could sit beside me. I'm such an idiot!

"S-Sure" I stuttered.

She smiled softly and took out her lunch.

She ate quietly beside me and didn't say a word when she ate.

At last I broke the silence.

"So you travel around the world eh?" I asked, not looking at her.

"Yes. What is it that you want to say?" she spoke.

"Nothing. Just asking."

She nodded.

"And you're parents are okay with this?"

This caught her off guard.

"Actually, I don't know where my parents are. I'm an orphan" she said, her voice cracking a bit.

I looked at her. She lost…her parents?

"You don't know?" I asked, feeling a bit sad.

She closed her lunch box and put it aside. She hugged her knees to her chest and closed her eyes. "Yes. I was sent away at that time and never could contact them."

"So who enrolled you in this school and pay for all the flights that you had?" I was confused.

She opened her eyes a little and laughed bitterly "Myself"

"WHAT!"

She cringed.

"Sorry" I apologized. "But, you had to find your own money?"

"Not exactly"

"So?"

"I had a little, or if you say it, royal fortune, from my parents to help me live I guess"

"And you go all over the world using the money?"

She kept quiet at this and I put the matter aside.

"So you don't know where your parents are?" Zoom asked

"No idea. Whether they are alive or dead. But I think they're dead."

"But doesn't that mean you're all alone?"

"Not really"

"So?"

"I have a sister. An older sister"

"She lives with you?"

"No, I **used** to have an older sister, but then she ran away and never came back"

Zoom's POV

"So why would you want to be friends with me? Why not with Zen? You do know who Zen is don't you?" I asked.

She shook her head "What I am now is my old self. I always laugh and smile and understand what the person might be going through. I have many friends and I was always the comforting one in my family. Sort of like my mother"

I just stared at her, waiting for her to continue.

"I know who Zen is. He's your little brother. I know he's popular and he looks just like you but I can tell the difference. Zen looked happy and full of life while you looked like the opposite. You were lonely and miserable, that's why I wanted to be friends with you"

"You don't want to be popular?" I asked.

Everybody wants to have popularity in high school. I was sure of this before, but now I doubt it.

She shook her head "If I'm popular and I move to somewhere else, everybody will now. It's better if not many but a few realizes"

"I'm surprised you even know that Zen is my little brother. Nobody except close to me knows" I complimented.

She giggled softly.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Am I that close to you already?"

I blushed a light pink.

"Yes you are" I muttered quietly.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" she asked leaning closer.

"Nothing"

She looked suspicious of me but shrugged it off.

"Say, Zoom"

"Yes Emerald?" I questioned.

"Can I ask you something?"

I blinked.

"Want to ask me what?"

"Were-"

She was cut off when the bell rang.

"We better get to class" I suggested.

She nodded.

We packed up our books and went to class.

And another boring day continues. But it wasn't really boring today, it was actually exciting and fun. And it's all because of Emerald.

I glanced at her. She was writing notes on her notebook. She was beautiful. The way her face looks so calm and the way some of her hair falls down her shoulders when she leans down.

I wonder what was she going to ask…

**There you have it. Sorry it took a while. Told ya the thrill comes later! What was she going to ask? Hm… That's for me to know and you to find out! Hope ya keep reading it! Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for the reviews! I really appreciated it a lot! Because of one of your reviews, I got an idea for my story too anyways! Sorry for not updating for so long, by the way…**

**Carry on!**

_A laugh came from behind me. It was music to my ears and it felt so full of life._

_I saw a smile that can warm my lifeless heart._

_Her hair was silky and smooth._

_Her skin was soft and milky._

_Suddenly I saw a pair of magical eyes. Eyes that can make you gaze into them forever._

_The color of her eyes were beautiful…sparkly…_

_So full of life and happiness…Yet, it held some sadness in them…Dark secrets that she didn't want to reveal…Painful memories that she had suffered through…_

_Who is she?_

"Hey Zoom!" someone called from behind me.

I blinked and shook my head.

I was daydreaming? Again? I've been daydreaming quite often now…

"Zoom?"

I looked behind me.

"Emerald?" I choked.

She had a questioning look on her face and her eyes held…worry?

Why should she worry about me?

"Are you…okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine" I said, trying to remain my cool. But it wasn't working so well.

She was just opening her mouth to say something but she was cut off by a familiar voice.

"Hey older brother!"

Zen was right behind Emerald, and he was waving high in the air. He had a big smile plastered to his face, as always…

"Hi Zen"

"Hey big bro!" He said, hopping towards me.

"Wanna go home?" he asked, not noticing Emerald.

I shrugged "In a while"

"Do you have to do something before we go?" he asked.

"Kinda"

"I'll wait for you then. What do you have to do?"

"Talk"

"With who?"

"Emerald"

"Which Emerald?"

"The one behind you"

Zen turned around, took one look at Emerald and literally jumped on me.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?" He screamed.

"Tell you what?" I asked innocently.

"That you have a GIRLFRIEND!" he screamed louder.

I and Emerald sweat dropped.

"I-I don't" I told Zen, but he ignored me.

"From when did you started to date?" he asked with stars in his eyes.

"I told you, I-" But he cut me off again.

"She's like the main gossip today! The new girl who every boy likes and every girl want to be friends! The girl who got real popular in a moment that I heard it during my first class!"

I tried to calm him down because he was jumping everywhere "Zen, I'm trying to tell you that I-"

Suddenly Zen stopped jumping and turned to me with a happy and a dreamy expression "Shouldn't we tell Dad? He'll be glad to know that his first child has a girlfriend now!"

My eyes turned colder than before when he said that.

Zen was 8 when my real dad died. Because of Dad's death and when Mother remarried, he didn't like it one bit. He went sick and got into an accident. We found out that Zen had got Amnesia. Zen didn't remember anything, even Dad and Mom, the reason why he was in that shape.

Mom thought that it was…better, that Zen would start a new life thinking that his Step-dad is his real dad and that his mother didn't remarry. But she paid the price anyways. Since Zen thought that his Step-dad was his real Dad, I was forced to call the evil devil man 'Dad'

"Zen, I was saying that-" I said, trying to explain it clearly to him.

"What? What? What?" Zen asked giddily.

"He's trying to tell you that I and Zoom aren't dating" Someone said.

We turned around and saw Emerald grinning at us. Both of us even forgot that Emerald was there.

"Really?" Zen asked, looking at me, then to Emerald, then back to me.

I nodded.

Zen shook his head sadly "That's too bad"

"I think that Zoom should have a girlfriend ya know?" Zen told Emerald "And you look like his girlfriend"

I felt heat rise to my cheeks as Emerald laughed.

"After all that commotion, I even forgot what I wanted to do" Zen sighed.

"And that is?" I raised a brow at him.

"Go home with you! But you mentioned Emerald and…" Zen smiled.

"You chatted crazily like a gossipy girl" I smirked.

"HEY!"

"It's true…" I shrugged.

"And while you were chatting," Emerald interrupted the Takazumi brothers' conversation "you mentioned that all the boys like me?"

Zen nodded.

"How about you?" She asked, curious of what is his answer.

"Me?" Zen asked, confused.

"Well, you're a boy and you said that all the boys like me, how about you then? Do you like me too?" Emerald explained, amusement clearly seen in her eyes.

Zen stuttered "I-I…Well…"

"Yes?"

"I…I told you, so…I'm not sure…" Zen said, trying to answer the question.

Emerald giggled "You can't lie"

"How can you know I'm lying?" Zen asked, suspicious.

"I just do"

"How?" he asked, even more curious.

"I also have no idea but she can just find out" I told him, scratching the back of my head.

Zen groaned, beaten.

"Fine. I well…I did like you before. But not like something…er…special…But more like a sister"

"SISTER!" I shrieked, horrified.

"Well, yeah"

"What makes her look like our sister?" I demanded.

"Well, the truth is, she actually helped me between classes" Zen confessed.

"She did?" I asked.

"She did"

"When?"

"Can we talk about this somewhere else?" Zen begged, sending nervous glances at Emerald.

I agreed "Fine, fine"

I turned to Emerald "Stay put here, we'll be back in a while"

She just smiled and nodded.

I felt myself blush, but I didn't want Zen to see, so I quickly tried to hide it.

I and Zen walked to a secluded area, where no one can hear us talk.

"So, when did she help you, Zen?" I asked, wanting to know badly.

"During between classes. I was going to literature when all the girls from my class asked me to bring their books. Of course I agreed and they immediately dumped their heavy luggage on me." Zen told me.

"Heavy luggage?" I asked, confused "Like what?

Zen shivered, remembering the memory. "You do not want to know man"

"Tell me, tell me, tell me" I pressed.

"I thought they wanted me to bring a few books, but actually they told me to bring all of their books and their cosmetics bag filled with lipstick, lip gloss, eye shadow, eye liner, blush, glitter and a lot more, of every color you can imagine and know!" Zen shouted, clearly horrified at the thought.

"And you know that they had those, by what? Peeping?" I joked.

Zen blushed "What? NO!"

"Oh, Zen's a make-up peeper" I chanted, again and again.

While doing that, I had to dodge his attacks that he sent to me.

Well, he does learn from 'Dad'. And 'Dad' is more on attacks while I'm both on attacks and defense.

"Oops, missed me!" I said, playing with him.

"Come on! Do you even wanna know what happened to me?" Zen whined.

I winked at Zen "Sure, but I didn't crack the mystery of the make-up peeper"

Zen tried to hit me again, but of course, he missed.

Zen shot me a glare, but continued "So anyways, I carried their luggage and because there were so much of them, I couldn't see where I was heading to. I kept wobbling and well, I fell and all the things collapsed on top of me."

I had to stifle a laugh there.

"Since I was a gentleman, I picked the books and I saw another pair of hands helping me gather them. I looked up and saw Emerald."

He paused and took a deep breath.

"Once we had picked up all of the fallen books, I said thank you, of course, and introduced myself. Emerald just smiled and introduced herself back. She even asked if I was OK or if I had a bump."

So like Emerald.

"She was so nice and kind. When she smiled, I just had to smile back. She's like a sister to me because she's like a sister that can take care of us. Become the mother in our family. A mother that can rub your tears away when you cry and make you feel better when you feel bad." Zen smiled happily.

'Like a mother that can rub your tears away when you cry and make you feel better when you feel bad' Zen's words was like a tape in my mind, the way his words repeat over and over again.

A sister that can take care of us…

I'm so sorry Zen…So so sorry…

"And you don't feel any…special connection other than the sisterly thing?" I asked, still not sure about the whole 'sister' thing.

Zen shook his head "Nope. Nothing"

"Ok. I guess we can go home together now" I told him, I knew that he'll smile when I say that.

And he did.

We walked back to find Emerald still waiting for us sitting on a bench in front of the school.

I can't believe she waited for us. I thought she would just ditch us and go home.

She noticed us and stood up.

"You think I'm like your sister, huh, Zen?" she asked, walking towards us.

Zen blushed a pink color "Y-yeah…I g-guess so?"

Emerald burst into a bubbly laughter.

Now it was my turn to blush.

She always can get me like that!

"So can we go home now?" Zen asked, looking at me.

"I guess"

Then, Zen's face became bright and he grinned a toothy grin.

"Hey, I just had a great idea! Do you want to come over to our house?" Zen asked, grinning madly, hopping over to Emerald.

What the-? What the heck is going through that brain of Zen's?

"E-Eh?" Emerald stuttered, clearly, she did not see this coming.

"Come on! It'll be fun!" Zen begged.

"But Zen…" Emerald tried to get him to get up, Zen was kneeling at her feet now.

"Please, please, please! I beg of you! Emerald, please come with us, really! I have no plan behind this! I swear!" Zen faked cry. Emerald had to hug him to stop him from crying.

Emerald looked at me with a worried look on her face. She had the question as clear as crystal on her face 'Should I go? I mean, wouldn't it trouble you two and get you into trouble? You can't even come to my house without your parent's permission! The result of the other way around must be even worst!'

Her face showed that she was begging for an answer from me right away. Maybe the reason must have been because Zen was crying uncontrollably on her shoulder.

I made a face that said 'We have no choice but to back up and follow the forced orders off Zen the obnoxious to go to his high order captain palace'

Emerald nodded and tried to soothe Zen by rubbing circles on his back with her hand.

"There, there Zen. How can I answer you if you keep crying like this?" Emerald whispered calmly.

Zen's cries started to decrease to soft whimpers and hiccups, but he was still shaking.

"Come on Zen, let's go to your house" Emerald whispered, standing up with Zen still in her arms.

"D-Does...(hiccup)…that-t mean y-you're…(hiccup)…g-going to my h-house (hiccup)?" Zen asked, burying his face on her shoulder.

"Yes. Now stop crying, now come on Zen" Emerald said, still rubbing his back.

Just then, Zen's cries and whimpers suddenly stopped.

For a second there, I thought that he had fainted.

But he proved me wrong.

He pulled away from Emerald, his dark hair shading his eyes.

He looked up, his eyes no longer have tears, and when he looked up, Emerald and I were shocked.

His eyes held sparkles and he had a big smile plastered onto his face.

He was smiling so brightly that I thought that I would have been blinded by the light and his smile would have been stuck there permanently.

Trouble for me, unfortunately.

"Mm…Zen? Ya okay, little brother?" I asked, with sweat drops on my head.

Zen shook his head, still smiling crazily "I'm not okay"

Emerald looked worried for a while. But it all changed when Zen jumped for joy.

"I'm feeling absolutely stupendous! Thanks for agreeing to come with us, Emerald! Now LET'S GO!"

I shook my head and sighed.

Zen's up to something, I just know it!

~On the way to my house~

I shook my head, looking at Zen.

He was skipping and marching like a kindergarten.

He's 11 years old already! God!

While I keep on looking at him doing childish things, I didn't see what Emerald was doing.

We were walking through a park full of peach trees when there was an ice cream stand.

Zen ran to get ice cream for us, including Emerald.

Then, I saw it.

Zen smiled a smile that I haven't seen in a long time.

I stopped dead in my tracks.

He only smiled like that when…

His smile sent a flashback to me…

Zen…

Mother…

-Flashback-

(No POV)

"_Mommy! Daddy!" A 4 year old Zen ran joyfully into the loving arms of his parents._

"_Yes, my little monster?" His father asked, tickling him._

_Zen shrieked and roared in laughter until tears came out of his eyes._

"_Stop it, Hiroko!" His mother laughed, trying to stop her husband._

_Hiroko Takazumi was a handsome man._

_A built body, _

_Six pack,_

_The perfect height,_

_Black hair,_

_And blue eyes_

_It was no surprise why Shina Takazumi didn't refuse to marry him._

_Shina Takazumi was also beautiful._

_She had dark brown hair that reached her back and matching brown eyes._

_She had the perfect body too._

_Shina and Hiroko Takazumi is such a romantic couple that you can be jealous of._

"_Can we go park today, prease (please)?" Zen asked, still giggling._

"_Of course we can sweetie" Shina twirled him around, "The weather is nice today too"_

"_We'll walk and go all together as a family, okay?" _

"_Yay!" Zen cheered._

"_Now, let's call your brother out of his hiding place so we can go to the park, shall we?" Hiroko asked Zen._

"_Yes! Yes!" Zen clapped._

"_Let's have a race?" His father challenged._

"_I reat(beat) you Daddy!" Zen ran, having a head start._

_Hiroko laughed, following after his son._

_Zen giggled "You'll wever(never) catch me Daddy!"_

"_I'm going to catch you my little monster!" He called._

_Zen just kept running faster._

_Zen ran up the stairs and slammed his older brother's room's door._

"_Wolder(Older) broter(brother)! Wolder broter! Wolder broter! I win!" Zen jumped and hugged Zoom._

"_Whoa!" Zoom stumbled back._

"_What's the competition, little monster?" _

_Zen pouted, his cheeks became chubbier and he made an angry face "I no mongster(monster)"_

_Zoom just laughed._

"_There you are my little monster" Their father had came through the door._

"_I no MONGSTER!" Zen did a high pitch scream._

_Zoom and his father laughed at the little boy's attitude._

"_If I mongster, you are rig(big) daddy monster and rig broter mongster!" Zen told them._

"_Oh, smart little boy already, aren't you?" Hiroko smiled, messing Zen's hair up. _

_He took Zen from Zoom's arms and into his. _

_Zen giggled._

"_Boys!" Shina shouted from below, "We're going to be late!"_

"_Late? For what? Where are we going?" Zoom asked his father, confused._

"_We go to park!" Zen said bubbly "And Mommy say we go family!"_

"_Okay. I finished my homework already anyways" Zoom shrugged._

"_Yippee! Go Daddy, go!" Zen said, getting a piggy bank from his father._

"_Hang on tight!" And the fun father dashed down the stairs, Zen on his back and Zoom following closely behind._

_When all the black haired men arrived downstairs, Shina shook her head at how very childish these boys are (Don't count Zen), but smiled nonetheless._

_The happy family left their house and walk to the park._

_When they reached the park, they saw that the peach trees were in bloom._

_Zen squealed with absolute delight as his father put him down._

"_It's beautiful, isn't it Zen?" Zoom asked._

_Zen tried to pronounce the word, "B-Biu-ti-pul?"_

"_Yes Zen" His mother explained to him the meaning "Beautiful means pretty"_

"_Pweety?" Zen asked._

"_Yes. Pretty"_

_Zen's face lit up as he laughed and clapped his hands._

"_Pweety, pweety, pweety! "_

_The other members of the family laughed at his childishness._

-End of flashback-

~(End of Zoom's POV)~

At that time, Zen was a very sparkling child.

He always smiled like the bright Sun.

You can't even know if he ever has sorrow in his life.

And Zoom was happy. Very, very happy.

But it all changed when their father died in a car crash, leaving the rest of his family in tears and sorrow.

They couldn't stop crying.

They have never felt sadness and hurt in their lives. But when it came, it all just happened at once.

Shina Takazumi also felt the pain but she had to stand up for her children.

She tried to help her children, but all she did was made more hurt and pain.

Hurt that she remarried to someone who isn't their Dad.

Pain that was felt when Zen got amnesia, when she herself got a hurt attack and now, Zoom who gets a daily beat-up.

Zen felt pain when their mother died, but his was nothing compared to Zoom's.

Zoom had to know all the pain and hurt that he suffered through at the past, while Zen forgot about them.

Zoom had to get beaten to pulp every day, by his stepfather.

And Zoom **must** hide the physical and mental agony that he has been through to save Zen.

To keep his only brother safe.

To keep his promise of not telling Zen anything to his mother and step-father.

Zoom Takazumi's life is a completely burnt mess.


	5. Chapter 5

After that flashback, Zoom thought, 'Father…'

But the word must have slipped out sub-consciously because the next thing Zoom knew, there was a warm hand on his shoulder.

Zoom looked around and saw Emerald smiling softly at him.

She sighed and bit her lip.

"I've been meaning to ask," she took a deep breath.

Zoom had a feeling that this was what she was meaning to ask during lunch too.

"Were you like…this, when you were a child?"

Zoom knew what she really wanted to ask was "Were you really lonely and distant as a child?" But he didn't really mind.

There was a moment's silence, but he answered her anyway. "No…I wasn't like this when I was a child"

Emerald took the answer in and asked the question that she wanted to ask.

"Then what were you like?"

Zoom knew this was coming, and knew what he wanted to answer.

"I…" Was he really sure that telling her is okay?

"…I was just like Zen"

She nodded, understanding.

"Did Zen realize that you were changing?" She asked again.

Zoom kept quiet at this.

Emerald knew not to ask more about this.

"What happened that made you turn like this?" She asked, careful with words.

Zoom had a battle of yes or no in his mind.

Yes: Just tell her! It won't hurt will it?

No: Don't! Do you want her to tell everybody your miserable life?

Yes: Come on! She's your friend!

No: A friend that only knows me for a day!

Yes: So what? She's been spending time with you more than anybody else!

No: She might tell!

Yes: She won't!

No: Do you want her to find out and tell everybody?

Yes: No, but we/I know that she won't!

No: If she leaked, your/our step father will find out and…and…

Yes: …

'Yes' had nothing to say anymore.

Zoom quickly made up his mind and looked apologetic at Emerald.

"I'm sorry…But I can't tell you"

Zoom thought that Emerald would have been complaining or at least frowning.

But what he saw was unbelievable to him.

She was…SMILING!

"You can't tell me, huh?" she said, stretching her hands.

"Yes…" Zoom nodded slowly.

"I suspected this. Some things are just better if you don't tell anybody, right?" She looked at the petals of the tree that were falling.

"Your past is a secret to you and only you, a secret that nobody can know." She cupped a petal with her hands.

"My past is also a secret to me, and nobody can really know because it's mine. Some things are better to be left as it is, right?"

With all the falling petals and the soft breeze, Zoom could have mistake Emerald for a flower angel.

But the beautiful moment ended when Zen came back with the ice creams.

He handed Emerald the Macadamia.

Zoom, the chocolate.

And Zen licked the cookies and cream.

The three of them continued their way back to the Takazumi household.

"Yummy" Zen commented in a while.

Emerald nodded and smiled, "It is"

Zoom just nodded silently.

"Oh, I nearly forgot, Zoom" Emerald said, facing Zoom.

"I can't believe you said 'We have no choice but to back up and follow the forced orders off Zen the obnoxious to go to his high order captain palace'!"

"You could understand what I was trying to say?" Zoom asked, baffled.

Emerald laughed and nodded.

"Seriously, Zen the obnoxious? High order captain palace? What have you been reading?" Emerald was in a laughing fit.

"WHAT?" Zen shrieked, "You called me obnoxious!"

Emerald stopped laughing, but she was still giggling.

"I did" Zoom replied coolly.

"When?" Zen demanded.

"When you were fake-crying" Zoom replied with a shrug.

"Wha-?" Zen said, turning a bit pink, "I was not fake-crying! I was really crying!"

Emerald couldn't handle her giggles to well.

"Sure you were" Zoom replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"Anyways, you didn't say anything when I was crying!" Zen cried, still confused how they could manage to communicate without talking to each other.

"Fake-cry" Zoom corrected, "And yeah, we didn't say anything, but we did communicate to each other"

"How?"

"Um…We just made faces and I also don't really understand how Emerald could clearly understand what I was trying to say"

"How did you know, anyway?" Zoom asked, looking at Emerald strangely.

"Did you get the gift of mind reading?" Zen added.

Emerald looked a bit uncomfortable.

"I just had a feeling, I guess"

"Uh huh" Zen said, not really believing.

"It's true" Emerald added.

"Okay. I'll just believe that" Zen answered sarcastically.

"You have to believe that"

Zoom just shook his head.

They arrived in the Takazumi household after a while.

The house was medium sized, it was yellow and it had windows in some places. It looks like it has two floors and an attic. It has brownish red tiles for the roof and a small gate and wall for the front. It had a friendly aura surrounding it.

"Nice" Emerald commented.

Zen beamed "Thanks"

Zen opened the gate and they went through.

Zen knocked on the door and hollered "Dad, we're home!"

Zoom rolled his eyes "Geez, Dad's not deaf"

Zen smirked, "Is he?"

"Ask him yourself" Zoom said cocking his head to the direction of the door which was now opened. There was a large man there looking at Zen with an eyebrow raised. The man had brown nearly black hair, sharp lightning blue eyes**, **a big body and a strict face.

Zen flinched, "Uh hey Dad! Say, did you do something to your hair?" He asked with a nervous laugh.

Their (step)father shook his head.

"Who's that?" He asked, motioning to Emerald.

"This is our new friend, Dad, meet Emerald Hikaru" Zen explained.

Emerald smiled and slightly bowed "Emerald Hikaru sir. I sit beside Zoom in class"

He nodded "Sora Takazumi, Zen and Zoom's father"

"Pleasure to meet you sir" Emerald said, still smiling.

'Emerald had such manners' Zoom thought, 'If she knows what he really is, she wouldn't be this kind to him'

'And if she knows from me, he'd have my skeleton' Zoom added in his mind. He shuddered at the thought.

"Come in" He said opening it wider.

The three teenagers went in

The inside of the house looks comfy. The walls were painted a cream color.

In the living room, there was a sofa, some arm chairs, a TV equipped with speakers and a DVD player, a wooden coffee table, and some vases propped up. The floor was covered with a fake-fur black carpet.

"Please sit down" Mr. Takazumi motioned to the couch while he sat on one of the armchairs.

Emerald nodded as she and Zen sat down on the couch.

"Do you want anything?" Zoom asked Emerald.

"No thank you" Emerald smiled kindly.

"I'll have some snacks" Zen raised his hand.

"And get me a cup of coffee while you're at it son" Mr. Takazumi added.

"Okay" Zoom said then left to the kitchen.

"So Hikaru-san is it?" Mr. Takazumi asked after Zoom left.

"Yes sir" She replied slightly nodding.

"Are you new in school?" Mr. Takazumi wondered, "Zoom never has friends that are boys, much less a girl"

"Yes sir"

"Since when?"

Zen out in, "She just came this morning Dad"

"A very new friend then!" Mr. Takazumi chuckled heartedly.

Zen and Emerald chuckled and giggled too.

Zoom came a few seconds later, carrying a tray with cookies and a cup of coffee.

He put them down carefully on the wooden coffee table and sat beside Zen.

"Not a bad pick son" Mr. Takazumi smirked taking a sip of his coffee and chuckled a bit when he saw that Zoom was blushing.

After some talking and the like, Emerald checked her watch.

"Thank you for your hospitality sir, but I must get going" Emerald said, grabbing her bag.

"Is it time already?" Mr. Takazumi asked surprised.

"Yes sir" Emerald nodded standing up.

"Well, it was a pleasure to meet you. Come back again, ya hear?" He smiled.

"Of course sir" Emerald smiled back.

"Escort her out boys" Mr. Takazumi ordered.

"Sure thing Dad!" Zen chirped.

"Yes father" Zoom said emotionlessly.

But when no one was looking, Mr. Takazumi glared at Zoom.

Zoom widened his eyes.

But Mr. Takazumi's smile came back when Emerald greeted him goodbye.

When Zoom was at the door, Emerald and Zen was already at the gate.

He walked down the steps and down the pathway.

"Bye Zen, thanks for the invite" She smiled.

"No prob" Zen gave her a thumbs up.

She looked at my direction.

She smiled softly, "Bye Zoom"

I just nodded.

And just like that, she made her way down the road and to her house.

The brothers walked back inside the house.

"You two go up and make your homework then make dinner" Their (step)father said when they stepped into the living room.

They both nodded and went to their perspective rooms.

Zoom opened his door, turned on the lights with a click and stepped inside.

His room was very tidy unlike Zen's.

His room was painted orange.

There was a wardrobe at the left and his bed on the right. There was also a desk beside his bed for him to make his homework.

Above his desk were some shelves where he can put his books. At the opposite of his bed was a door that led to the bathroom.

On the opposite wall of the door, there was a large window that he could see through. It was so big he could jump out of it.

Zoom put his bag beside the foot of his bed. And went to get some clothes and went to the bathroom to take a shower.

He made sure to cover his bruises and cuts first before wearing his clothes.

He is now wearing an orange shirt and gray sweatpants.

He took out his homework and started to work on it.

~Time skip~

Zoom finished his homework quickly. He checked the time and sighed in relief at the time.

"Still have time" He muttered under his breath.

He got up, put his pile of homework in his bag and zipped it.

He then laid on his bed, thinking of today's activities.

For all he could remember, it was all about Emerald.

Though, he remembered that there was something wrong in her past and how she didn't really fight him in physical education. She was only disarming him. But,-

His thoughts were cut off when there was a shout coming from his oh, so wonderful step-father. Not.

"Zoom! Get down here and start making dinner"

Zoom sighed and jogged downstairs.

"Took you long enough" His step-father spat.

"Forgive me father" Zoom said, bowing.

"We have things to discuss later" He snarled and left.

Zoom said nothing and started making dinner.

~Time skip~

It was around midnight. Zen was sound asleep. Zoom was not.

His door creaked open, showing a shadow of a man.

"Wake up boy" Said a harsh voice.

Zoom got up from his bed and walked obediently to his step-father.

His step-father grabbed him by the collar and dragged him to the training room.

Sora threw him across the room and to a wall.

Zoom groaned and slid down to the floor, blood gushing from his head.

Sora said nothing and slowly walked over to him.

He crouched down and grabbed Zoom by his hair and pulled it up, making Zoom look up.

Sora just smirked and let go, making Zoom's head bang the floor.

"How weak" He sneered, standing up.

"Get up!" He commanded.

Zoom shakily got up on all fours.

"Pity" Sora said with no emotions.

He clawed Zoom's shirt and pulled him up.

He shook his head and started beating him up.

Kicking him in the guts, punching him in the face, scratching his body, etc.

In the whole process, Sora didn't say a single word.

But after another punch in the jaw, he threw Zoom to the floor, and started talking.

"Having friends is dangerous Zoom" He whispered in a deadly whisper.

Zoom just gasped for air and held in the pain.

"I'm surprised you made a friend" He continued.

Zoom just waited in pain.

"But that doesn't matter" He said, finally talking in his regular voice. But his voice still sent shivers down Zoom's spine.

"You're just a useless bag of scum. I would kill you if there isn't your nothing-for-good brother. You both should have died a long time ago. Along with your mindless mother"

Zoom whimpered.

Sora smirked triumphantly and started beating Zoom up again.

After the beating, he stopped and crouched to Zoom's level.

"Don't forget to cover those" He said with a nasty grin and he left. But not without one last kick at Zoom's ribs.

Zoom didn't want to, but he had to.

He carefully and slowly tried to stand up on two legs without tumbling and collapsing.

He finally managed and quietly crept to his bedroom bathroom.

He took of his bloody clothes and stepped into the shower.

He turned the knob and rinsed himself in the warm water.

He saw blood mixed with water go down the drain.

He turned the knob again, stopping the water.

He took out some special soap and put it on his skin.

He rinsed himself again.

After he was clean of flowing blood, he stepped out of the shower and dried himself with a towel.

He looked at his physical injuries in the mirror and frowned.

He had cuts and bruises, some places hurt, including his ribs, his head and other places.

He turned around, there were the usual, but today, Takazumi added deep scratches on his back. Like it was made by a cat.

Zoom took out his cover-up and rubbed his whole body with it.

Once he made sure that his whole body was clean of his injuries, he put on his clothes and went back to bed.

~Morning at school~

"Good morning Zoom!" A cheery voice said.

Zoom looked over and saw none other than Emerald.

"Hey" He grunted.

She frowned and sat beside him and took out her books.

"Unpleasant things?" She asked, after not talking in the last 3 minutes of first period.

He snorted, "'Unpleasant' wouldn't be the word"

She did a small smile, "Then the word would be?"

He sighed and put his head on his hands, "I don't know, destroyed? Disastrous?"

"Would 'Chaotic' be the word?" She asked quietly.

"Yes! Thank you!" He burst out, and uncovered his face.

"Wait, how do you know that?" He asked turning to Emerald who looked away.

"I've been through it too. Believe me" She said, still quiet.

"How did you get in it?" Zoom asked scooting closer.

"Just did" Emerald shrugged.

"How was it chaotic?" Zoom asked, still pushing it.

He hoped that he wouldn't go too far.

"Explosions, injuries, deaths" She replied.

"Who attacked? Who died?"

This time, she didn't answer. She stood up abruptly, muttered something to the teacher and ran out of the classroom.

"Maybe I did push it too far" Zoom mumbled.

~In the middle of second period~

The door opened to reveal Emerald, she looked fine. She said her apologies to the teacher for being late, and then sat beside Zoom.

Zoom secretly kept shooting glances at Emerald. What made her run out of class?

That, he would find out sooner or later.

~Lunch break~

Zoom was at the doors of the canteen. Emerald hadn't said anything to him, and that made him feel queasy. So now, he figured that she probably doesn't want to talk to him so she's eating at the canteen. But he hasn't seen her at all.

Zoom decided to try finding her, in case she was in trouble. But if she was, she could just beat up the person, but still…

But where should he start searching? The classroom? No, he saw her leave the classroom.

He decided to just go where his feet took him. And his feet took him towards the cherry blossom tree. The place where he and Emerald ate yesterday.

He thought that he was turning crazy, why would his feet take him there? Then again, he was already crazy, feet can't work without a brain, why did he think his feet brought him there? It was himself!

But if it was himself, why did he come here?

"I guess you found me" A voice said. It sounded oddly like Emerald's but he didn't know where it was coming from.

He looked around. Nobody was there.

Was he hearing things now?

"Or not" Emerald's voice said again.

Zoom kept looking around, but he still couldn't see where the voice was coming from.

The voice giggled, "Up here"

Zoom slowly looked up.

He gasped and staggered backwards. There sitting on a branch of the tree was Emerald.

Zoom scolded himself. How couldn't he check there first?

"You should come up here and see the view you know" Emerald suggested.

He wanted to, but couldn't. He isn't really gifted with climbing trees…

He took a glance on how high the tree was.

He gulped.

And Emerald was also very high up.

"No thank you. I'm not gifted of climbing" Zoom said nervously.

"Oh?" Emerald raised a brow.

"Yeah" He said, looking down.

"Ok then" He heard her say.

He looked up and saw her stand up.

"Oi! Don't commit suicide!" Zoom yelled, panicked.

Emerald shook her head and giggled, "How do you think I got up here Zoom?"

And with that, she began jumping down the branches of the tree.

She landed right beside him swiftly.

"How did you do that?" Zoom asked amazed.

Emerald shrugged, "Practice"

"So, why did you want to find me?" Emerald asked, sitting below the tree.

"Oh that" Zoom said, remembering why he had went to find her in the first place.

"Well," He started scratching the back of his head, not wanting to hurt her feelings or anything.

"I'm sorry Emerald" He finally managed to say.

"Sorry? For what?" She asked, puzzled.

"For pushing too far about 'chaotic'. It wasn't my business, yet I still pushed it. And I'm sorry, so, can you forgive me?" Zoom said quietly.

Emerald nodded, "Well, a human's curiosity works that way and I see that you feel guilty, so, yeah, I forgive you"

"Really? Just like that?" Zoom asked, bewildered.

"Yeah, just like that"

They stayed quiet for a few minutes.

Even though he looked fine, he was panicking in the inside.

'What do I say? What do I say? Say something Zoom! Don't just stand there like an idiot! Say something!'

"Umm…So, do you wanna go inside?" Zoom asked nervously.

Emerald nodded.

"Maybe, but I wanna do something first"

"Like?"

"Climb up this tree, you should come with me, I'll help you"

Zoom looked up again, he gulped.

Emerald followed his gaze and pieced together the mystery

"Zoom?" She asked softly, "Are you afraid of heights?"

"Um…Why do you wanna know?" Zoom asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Just answer"

"Well, I wasn't before, but, don't laugh, I started getting scared of heights when I was six, ever since my older cousin pulled me up to a sky ride in Singapore. Of course I obliged, I was sitting with my cousin, my parents were with Zen and my cousin's parents were sitting together" Zoom explained.

"Continue"

"Well, it was only a park bench with only one metal bar. I was too small to be a perfect fit for the seat. And the worst part is, there was no net below, nothing! There was only the plain green plains with trees sticking out everywhere" Zoom shuddered at the memory, "Normally I wouldn't be scared of it, but I nearly fell out of it when it suddenly stopped and began swaying crazily. My hands were sweaty and I slipped off my seat."

Emerald was startled. Her eyes widened and she wasn't moving.

"S-So, how d-did y-you…" She asked, stuttering as if she just saw a ghost.

"Well, I managed to get a grip on the side of the seat. Because we stopped completely, my bench was tilting sideward because of my weight"

Zoom took a deep breath and continued.

"My cousin couldn't help me. She was also holding to the other side of the bench for dear life. My parents saw what was happening and started screaming for help. Since it was nearly the end of the ride, they yelled at me and my cousin to hold on a little bit longer until we reach the sky ride stop, if one of us accidently lost their grip, there will be a net below us"

Now, Emerald was still half-frozen.

"So we held on for a bit more and we got back safely, but still, our parents were nearly sobbing and all of them were horror-struck. They refused to let any of their children go on high rides anymore."

Emerald finally unfroze. She fell down on her knees and to the grass.

"Emerald! Are you okay?" Zoom exclaimed, going on his knees and holding Emerald.

Emerald put her hands to her head.

"I-I never knew" Emerald whimpered.

"Emerald?"

Emerald shivered.

Zoom thought that she was cold since it was nearly Christmas, but then, he heard sobs.

He thought he was just hearing things, but then he heard that the sobs were from the girl in his arms, Emerald.

"Are you okay?" Zoom asked softly.

Emerald just kept sobbing.

"Hey, hey, it's okay" Zoom said soothingly.

Emerald shook her head, still in a fit of sobs.

"Come on, look at me" Zoom said shaking her softly.

Emerald covered her ears trying to block Zoom's voice. Fresh tears started seeping from her covered eyes.

"Emerald, look at me" Zoom said quieter, but Emerald could hear him just fine.

Emerald hesitantly looked up.

"Emerald, come on, why are you crying? Are you hurt?" Zoom asked caringly.

Emerald shook her head for a no. Tears stopped leaking from her eyes but she was still sobbing.

"Then what is it?" Zoom asked softly, yet again.

Emerald shook her head frantically, shutting her eyes and covered her ears with her hands. She was starting to cry again.

"Emerald," Zoom started softly, lifting her chin, so they were looking into each other's eyes.

'God! Her eye color is so…unique' Zoom thought.

"Why are you crying?" Zoom asked, wiping a few tears away from her face with his thumb.

Emerald whimpered. She looked down. Zoom didn't want to push anything to far anymore with her.

But when Zoom thought that she was never going to answer him, she did.

"I'm sorry" She whispered.

"Why are you sorry?" Zoom asked confused.

"About your fear of height" She replied.

Zoom shrugged, "It's okay. It's not like you had anything to do with it"

Emerald sniffled, wiped away her tears and slowly stood up.

"Do you want to get rid of heights Zoom?" She asked, smiling a sad smile.

Zoom stood up. He scratched the back of his head. "I guess. Why?"

"Well, normally people try to get rid of their fears are facing them" She replied.

"What?" Zoom exclaimed.

She nodded, "You have to scare your fear away"

"How do I do that?" Zoom asked, puzzled.

"Climbing a tree for instance" She said, facing the cherry blossom tree.

Zoom followed her glance and widened his eyes slightly.

"It's okay if you don't want to" Emerald shrugged, "I'm not forcing you"

Zoom needed a few moments to think this through.

At last, he made his choice.

"I'll do it"

Emerald nodded.

"Just don't panic" She told him.

Zoom nodded and gulped.

He may be a little scared, but he missed that feeling. The feeling of being able to be free for a while. Free of all burdens, hidden from all the troubles.

And in a few minutes, that feeling will come back to him.


	6. Chapter 6

"You ready?"Emerald smiled.

Zoom nodded hesitantly.

"You don't have to do it if you're not okay with it" Emerald said kindly.

Zoom shook his head quickly, "No, no, it's not that"

"Then what is it?" Emerald asked questioningly.

"I'm just…"

"Just?"

"I'm just…scared" Zoom said quietly.

Emerald laughed.

Zoom sighed, "I must be weird aren't I? Scared of climbing a tree"

"Not at all!" Emerald exclaimed, a big smile on her face.

Zoom was shocked, "Why?"

"Because it's your fear! You don't call it a fear if you're not scared of it, you just have to relax and try to let it go, I did it too" She smiled brightly.

"You did it too?" Zoom gaped.

Emerald nodded encouragingly, "Of course! There's no person in this world without a fear. If there is, that person would not be right in its' own mind!"

"What were you afraid of?" Zoom asked, curious.

Emerald seemed to just realize what she just said and widened her eyes, "Mm…Something"

"Something?" Zoom asked, again.

"Yeah, but that's not important now" She answered, signaling that this was the end of their conversation.

And anyways, Zoom didn't want to push it too far again.

"Okay, so…how do I climb a tree?" Zoom asked nervously.

Emerald's head snapped towards him, "You don't know how to climb a tree?"

Zoom blushed several shades of red, "N-No, I just forgot how to"

"Well, it's easy. Just grab a branch, swing yourself up, swing yourself up and balance yourself" Emerald explained.

"Grab a branch, swing up and balance" Zoom repeated carefully.

"Yup. In 3 easy steps Zoom. Grab, swing and balance" Emerald smiled.

"Okay…" Zoom nodded slowly.

"You ready?" Emerald asked.

Zoom nodded slowly.

"Just try to follow me and you'll be back in shape in no time" Emerald smiled.

"Okay"

And their training started.

Emerald grabbed a random branch and swung herself up.

Zoom followed her example and succeeded.

"See?" Emerald grinned, "It's easy!"

Zoom just stayed quiet and tried to concentrate on his balance.

They kept swinging upwards until they were nearly at the top.

Emerald stopped and sat on the branch. Zoom also stopped and sat beside her.

"Look at the view" Emerald told him.

Zoom tilted his head in confusion but followed her instructions nonetheless and gasped.

The view was beautiful but horrible too.

The beautiful part was how calm it was up there. They could see tall trees, clear lakes, the blue sky and a flock of birds flying past.

The horrible part? They could see factories working, throwing pollution to the air and into the once clear lakes. There was a traffic jam nearby and they could hear the noisy honking of cars and shouts of the people on the road. And there was also a large machine at the woods. It was digging out the Earth and there were workers around it cutting all the trees in the woods. And in the city, there was a burning building and a large machine, knocking another building down. They heard a siren of the police car and saw that it was chasing a robber in a car, trying to shoot the police down. Another robbery no less and it sounds that it came from the jewelry store.

"What do you think is the word for this?" Emerald asked quietly.

Her face showed no emotions and it scared Zoom. Emerald always smiles, but why was she emotionless now?

"…Peaceful and petrifying?" Zoom tried.

Emerald laughed bitterly.

"Not bad for words Takazumi" Emerald commented.

His bone chilled when Emerald said his last name.

Did he do something wrong?

"And no, you didn't do anything wrong" Emerald said, as if reading his mind.

"But I guess you're right. It is both peaceful and petrifying" Emerald said after a few moments of silence.

"The two opposites in one place" She sighed.

Zoom noticed that every time her eyes traveled to the peaceful part of the city, she looked calm but when she caught a glimpse of the disastrous part, she seemed to be saddened at the look of the city.

'Is this what happened to her home land?' Zoom wondered.

Even though it killed him in the inside, Zoom managed to swallow the question down his throat.

"Well, back to climbing I guess" Emerald suddenly said, clapping her hands together.

"So what's next?" Zoom asked, standing up too.

Emerald thought about this for a moment and then she beamed.

"Climbing down" She said simply and jumped down from the branch.

In some usual occasions, Zoom would be paralyzed to jump off a branch of the tallest tree in the school district, but this time, it was different.

It was the tallest tree in the school district and no ladder could be long enough to reach the top, but however, if he didn't follow Emerald, he couldn't go down and he couldn't reach his goal.

So, he followed Emerald and jumped off the branch. He continued jumping successfully, until they were almost down.

His foot slipped on the branch and he shot downwards like a meteor.

He would have had a fall if someone didn't hold onto his hand. That person was none other than Emerald herself.

She gripped Zoom harder as she slowly descended down the tree.

And in a few moments, they finally managed to get to the bottom.

They both collapsed onto the grass and took deep breaths.

"I-I guess I owe you one" Zoom managed to breath out.

"Don't mention it" Emerald said, wiping the sweat of her brow.

They could have stayed there forever if a shadow hadn't loomed over them.

They both looked up and gasped. There, as clear as day, was their chemistry teacher, Mr Yoma. They scrambled up at the presence of their teacher.

"Why, may I ask, are you two an hour and half late for classes?" His voice was cold and strict.

The two students winced and inched backwards. The chemistry teacher was the most strict and scary. It was hard to not be scared of him.

They couldn't be late, could they?

He looked at Emerald and Emerald turned her watch to check the time. Emerald caught his eye and nodded sadly.

Mr Yoma saw this and glared harder at them.

'Shit' Was all that Zoom could think.

"Trying to skip double chemistry now are we?" Mr Yoma snarled.

Zoom racked his brain to remember the schedule for today.

When he did, he widened his eyes at his sudden realization. After lunch was double chemistry and then maths and art.

'Crap!' He murmured in his mind.

"Come with me" Mr Yoma said strictly and walked into the school.

Emerald and Zoom had no choice but to follow him.

It seems that Mr Yoma was taking them towards the principal's office.

Zoom braced himself for the worst.

The teacher opened the door and ushered them in.

The principal, Mrs Akito, looked up from her papers. "Yes?"

"These two were an hour and half late for class mam" Mr Yoma reported.

Mrs Akito frowned, "An hour and half?"

"Yes mam" Mr Yoma nodded.

"Thank for your report Yoma. Leave these kids to me" Mrs Akito stood up from her seat.

Mr Yoma nodded.

When Mr Yoma was out, Mrs Akito signaled for them to sit down.

They obliged and seated themselves in front of Mrs Akito.

"Now, may I ask why are you two an hour and half late for class?" Mrs Akito asked, raising a brow.

"Um…We…Were…Um…Well…We…." Zoom stammered.

"Just lost track of time" Emerald said bluntly.

Zoom took a breath of relief inside but didn't dare do anything in front of the principal.

"Then why, may I ask, Hikaru, do you have a watch on your hand?" Mrs Akito asked.

Zoom gulped. They were going to get it.

Unconsciously, Emerald's hand touch her watch and grip it slightly.

"A present from my sister" Emerald managed to get out, her voice quivering very slightly.

"The last" She whispered, looking down.

Zoom widened his eyes.

So did Mrs Akito, "Oh, my apologies" she said awkwardly.

Mrs Akito knew about Emerald's story. At least, just a part of it. Nobody except for her knows the true and full story.

'A tragedy' is what Mrs Akito said her story was.

They became silent. Mrs Akito coughed to break the silence.

"Since you two were late for class, I'll put you in detention" Mrs Akito announced.

Zoom and Emerald stayed emotionless.

"You two are going to stay back today, cleaning the art and crafts, preparations and experimental room"

The students nodded.

"Now off you go"

They left.

~After detention~

Zoom was walking out of the school doors. He just finished school and his detention with Emerald.

It wasn't that hard, but seriously, what do the lower grades use for paint? Just scrubbing the part of the wall made his arm ache badly.

He didn't realize a figure crept behind him, but he did when that figure threw itself on to him.

"Zoom!"

"W-What?" Zoom shook his head, he looked around and saw his cousin.

Jessica Takazumi is related to Zoom from her and his father. His father and her father were actually twins. While Zoom's father married Shina, Jessica's father, Hiroka Takazumi, married an American, Sylvia Howard. Jessica has soft blonde hair that reaches her back and chocolate-brown eyes. She wore a white shirt with a blue tank top over it. She also wears cream pants and white shoes.

"J-Jessica?"

Jessica rolled her eyes, "Took you long enough. What took you so long to get out of school?"

"Nothing. Just got detention" Zoom said.

Jessica was puzzled, "Why did you get detention?"

"Was an hour and half late for class"

"Why were you late?"

"I and Emerald lost track of time climbing a tree"

Jessica was stunned, then she beamed, and then she smirked.

"You were caught smooching with a girl!"

Zoom blushed furiously.

"NO!"

"Then?" Jessica wiggled her eyebrows.

"Just a friend teaching me how to climb"

"Just a friend?"

"Yes. Just a friend" Zoom replied stubbornly.

Jessica smirked.

"Who was your friend's name again?"

"Emerald Hikaru"

Jessica nodded, "Hm…I'll be wanting to meet her"

"Why?"

Jessica just smiled, "Girl vibes"

Zoom moaned.

Jessica just giggled.

"Zoom?" A voice from behind him said.

Zoom turned around, and he saw Emerald coming out of the school doors with books in her hands and a black scarf on her neck due to the fall wind.

"Emerald" He murmured.

Emerald turned her head and looked at Jessica. Zoom noticed this and introduced them.

"Um…Jessica, meet Emerald Hikaru. Emerald, meet Jessica Takazumi, she's my cousin"

Emerald nodded curtly, but shook her Jessica's hand nonetheless.

"It's good to meet you" Jessica smiled.

Emerald just nodded curtly. No words came from her mouth. Her mouth didn't even curve or lift up a tiny bit. She just stood there emotionlessly.

'What's wrong with her? First time I met her, she couldn't stop babbling away' Zoom thought.

He looked into Emerald's beautiful emerald eyes and saw…jealousy?

'It was impossible…right? That could never be jealousy…right? Ugh…..' His head was about to explode.

"Oh and…" Jessica leaned to Emerald's ear and whispered something.

Emerald looked puzzled, "But we're not"

And again, Jessica whispered in her ear.

Emerald blushed slightly, "No I don't"

Jessica whispered in her ear again.

"No I don't" Emerald repeated.

"Oh yes you do. Maybe we'll meet some other time, tell you **the** things, eh?" Jessica smiled.

"The meeting part is alright. But I don't!" Emerald protested.

Despite her protests, Jessica wouldn't take a no.

Jessica handed Emerald a strip of paper, "Here's my number. Call me"

"Yes, but as I told you, I-"

"Sorry Emmy. There's no backing out of this one" Jessica grinned.

'Emmy? Seriously?' Zoom snickered.

Jessica glared at him and he whimpered.

"Come on Zoom" Jessica called. "Well, see ya next time!" Jessica winked.

Emerald just nodded dumbly.

"See ya Emerald" Zoom waved.

Emerald seemed to knock out of her daze, she looked puzzled for a moment before blinking back a few times, "Sure. Bye Zoom"

When they were out of the school gates, Zoom turned to Jessica.

"What were you talking/whispering back there?"

Jessica smiled like she knew something he didn't, which, she did.

"Girl stuff" Was her simple reply.

Zoom knew that pushing her will do no good, so he kept his mouth shut.

"Why did you come to my school anyway?" Zoom asked.

Jessica shrugged, "Its family reunion tonight. So I thought I'd come by. Didn't know you'll get detention, so I told Zen to go home first while I stayed back"

"Thanks, but anyways, the 'Family Reunion' won't be that exciting"

"What do you mean?"

"Celebrating family reunion only with your two cousins only, remember?"

"Oh…Right…That…um…problem"

Zoom nodded wistfully.

They rarely talked about Zoom's real parents. Jessica, coming from Zoom's dad's twin, knew about Zoom's family problem, so she had to keep it a secret from Zen too. Though she wasn't threatened by Zoom's step dad.

"Well, look at it on the bright side, it's Friday! Tomorrow's Saturday! It's the weekend! The time to enjoy a stress free time!" Jessica grinned.

Zoom snorted, 'If she only knew, if only…'


	7. Chapter 7 Quick Review

**This isn't a chapter, just a quick review.**

Zoom comes from Thailand. So he isn't in Japan, mind you.

**Emerald Hikaru: **

**Appearance: **Waist-length light brown hair, parted at the side with a clip with a small round emerald. Emerald eyes. Cream skin

**Clothing: **Sleeveless emerald ruffled blouse, jeans, sneakers

**Age: **13

**Zoom Takazumi:**

**Appearance: **Jet black messy/spiky hair. Brown eyes. Pale skin.

**Clothing: **Black shirt and grey sweatpants

**Age:** 13

**Zen Takazumi: **Zoom's younger brother

**Appearance: **Jet black hair. Brown eyes. Pale skin.

**Clothing: **Red rock n' roll shirt and rip-up jeans

**Age:** 11

**Sora Kiyano(Takazumi): **Zoom and Zen's step-father

**Appearance: **Brown nearly black hair, sharp lightning blue eyes

**Clothing: **Tight dark green shirt and jeans. Running shoes

**Age: **36

**Shina Hiyoko(Takazumi):** Zoom and Zen's mother, Hiroko Takazumi's wife

**Appearance: **Long brown hair, brown eyes and pale skin.

**Clothing: **White shirt with a long soft pink dress that past her knee over it. Pale pink pumps.

**Age: **Died at the age of 32

**Hiroko Takazumi:** Zoom and Zen's father, Shina Hiyoko(Takazumi)'s husband

**Appearance: **Jetblack hair, six pack and blue eyes.

**Clothing: **Yellow and orange checkered shirt. Jeans. Black shoes.

**Age:** Died at the age of 31

**Jessica Takazumi:** Only daughter of Hiroka and Sylvia Takazumi, Zoom and Zen's cousin.

**Appearance: **Soft blonde hair that reaches her back and chocolate-brown eyes.

**Clothing: **White shirt with a blue tank top over it. She also wears cream pants and white shoes.

**Age: **17

**Hiroka Takazumi: **Hiroko Takazumi's twin brother, Sylvia Takazumi(Howard)'s husband, Jessica Takazumi's father

**Appearance: **Jetblack hair, six pack and blue eyes.

**Clothing:** Blue and white checkered shirt. Jeans. Black shoes.

**Age: **34

**Sylvia Takazumi(Howard):** Hiroka Takazumi's wife, Jessica's American mother

**Appearance:** Blonde hair, brown eyes

**Clothing: **Yellow sundress, yellow pumps.

**Age:** 34

So this is how Zoom's family goes:

Zoom was 10 years old, Zen was 8, their parents were 31. Hiroko (Their dad) died at the age of 31. Their mom cried and cried and at the age of 31, married Sora Kiyano, but they still kept their name 'Takazumi' instead of 'Kiyano'. Zen got angry and got into an accident that wiped his memory clean. Shina thought that it would be better for him to forget so pretended that Sora was their life-long dad. Hiroka (Their uncle), Sylvia (Their aunt) and Jessica (Their cousin) also had to act through. Zen believed them until now. The very next year, Shina (Their mom) died, they were told she died because of a heart attack at the age of 32. Once she died, their step-dad beat up Zoom everyday for 2 years and Zoom started avoiding his friends and didn't make any friends when he came in the secondary department.


	8. Chapter 8

Jessica and Zoom arrived to Zoom's house not long afterwards. Zoom opened the door and Jessica hollered, "We're back!"

Zoom smirked, "Still as noisy as ever, I see"

Jessica glared at him.

Zen came bounding down the stairs, "Zoom!" He squealed.

"Hey there squirt"

"I'm not a squirt, I'm 11"

"And I'm 13"

"I bet I can beat you!"

Zoom rolled his eyes, "When red aliens, mutant animals and killer red-eyed robots invade a delicious pizza diner that serves green pie in the middle of a desert" (A/N: Does that seem familiar?)

"That'll never happen!" Zen exclaimed.

"Exactly the point" Zoom replied, "I'll be in my room if anybody needs me"

Zoom headed upstairs and took a quick bath, scraping off the dry paint and dust he got from his detention. After the bath, he used the remaining time to make his countless homework.

He dropped his bag beside the foot of his bed and took out his homework, dropped them on his desk and sat in his spinning chair. He switched on his small worktable lamp and started writing down his homework.

After some time of scribbling, a knock was heard on the door and Jessica's head appeared, "What are you doing Zoomie?"

Zoom sighed and spun around his spinning chair, "Don't call me Zoomie"

Jessica went in and grinned, "Why not Zoomie?"

"Just because you're a tiny bit older than me doesn't mean you have to call me Zoomie"

"Correction, I'm 17, you haven't even passed the 9th grade"

"How would you feel if I called you Jessie? Like Jessie the cowgirl from toy story?"

"Watching toy story at the age 16? Tsk tsk" Jessica tisked, "But still, 'Jessie' won't affect me"

"Why not?"

"Because it doesn't matter to me, unlike you, Zoomie"

"Don't call me Zoomie"

"Sure thing kid. So, what are you doing?" She asked.

"Don't call me kid and I'm doing homework"

"When I'm around?"

"Why not?"

"Puh-lease. Is homework so important to you?" Jessica rolled her eyes.

"Of course, it's for my grades"

"You're already smart!" Jessica exclaimed.

"Oh the joy" Zoom rolled his eyes, "Glad I'm not blonde"

"Doesn't affect me, kid" Jessica grinned

"You told me cowgirl" Zoom rolled his eyes.

Jessica just grinned from ear to ear.

"Would you stop smiling!" Zoom blurted out, "It's giving me the creeps"

Jessica just kept grinning, "Maybe that's because **you** don't smile"

"Uh, yeah I do"

"But not a genuine-real-not fake-not grin smile" Jessica pointed out.

Zoom sighed, "So?"

"So? You gotta smile Zoom! Laugh! Make people smile!"

Zoom raised an eyebrow, "So now you're telling me to be a clown"

She looked at him, disgusted, "Clowns are fake. That's why I don't really like them"

"They're supposed to be funny" Zoom pointed out.

"They paint their faces, tie up balloons, make weird faces, do pantomime, and ride around in weird cars. What's funny about that?" Jessica asked him.

Zoom sighed, "Never mind"

After a minute of silence, Jessica sighed, "You really should give a smile or two Zoom"

Zoom raised an eyebrow, "Why….?"

"Because all of us will want to know that you aren't gone and are still here with us" She said.

"I'm not gone. I'm alive. Healthy and well. There isn't a lie in it at all" He grinned fakely.

Well, maybe for the healthy and well part. But she didn't need to know about that.

"No, I know that your body's still here and I can touch and know it's still flesh, but what I meant is inside. Your soul within."

"And know you're going all philosophical on me. Good job in explaining it though" He said sarcastically.

Jessica's expression was dead serious. Holding no hint of amusement.

"I'm not bluffing Zoom, remember what I just said to you. Don't forget it" She sighed, and then left his room.

He dropped his façade and climbed onto his large bed.

He sighed heavily and laid his head on his pillow, staring up to the blank ceiling. Thinking.

He felt so….sad, the feeling of sorrow filled into his soul. His life felt…empty. Useless. Meaningless.

He felt like a rag doll with nothing inside. A rag doll that can only be thrown. Never used, never loved.

If he wanted, he could commit suicide and nobody would even notice his bedroom was empty except drops of his blood, a bloody knife, and a dead body. His dead body.

Why couldn't he just do that? What was holding him back?

He finally got the answer.

He may not be loved, but **he **can love.

He couldn't die, he couldn't leave the ones **he** love.

Zen, Jessica, even….Emerald.

His list was short, really short, but it was all that he needed to restrain himself in grabbing a sharp knife and impaling it into his chest, stomach or slitting his wrist.

He had to be strong. He knew that all of this has an ending. The ending just isn't there yet.

"Zoom get down here for dinner!" Jessica shouted from below.

He blinked. How long had he been staring at the ceiling? It only felt like minutes but…

He glanced towards his clock. It was dinnertime. He wasted all his spare time gazing. But, oh well, he didn't care.

He sighed, and sat up. He trudged out of the door and down the stairs. At the end of the stairs, he took a deep breath, shook his head and put on a fake smile.

"Hey everybody!" He greeted like it was all sunshine, daises and rainbows. Not. Instead, it was the exact opposite happening in his life.

"Hey Sport" His uncle, Hiroka, grinned.

"Hello dear" His aunt Silvia smiled gently.

"Hey son" His step-dad greeted.

"Come on bro! Let's eat!" Zen grinned, readying his knife and fork.

Jessica just smiled at him.

Something told Zoom she's up to something. He decided to zip his mouth until she said something first.

"So," He started getting into his seat, "How's everybody doing?"

"Why thank you for asking dear, I and your uncle are doing well. I'm getting a role at a new movie and I read the script. It was wonderful" Her aunt Silvia smiled kindly.

"And I'm getting a promotion at work" His uncle Hiroka gave him 2 thumbs up.

"I'm starting to go to the gym now" His step dad said.

"Oh" Was all Zoom said, "And you Zen?"

"My class is going to have an assembly soon. Done. Can we eat now?" Zen raised an eye brow.

"Sure. Sure. Geez" Zoom smirked.

They said their prayers and started eating.

"How about you Zoom? Is anything big going on?" Aunt Silvia asked.

"Big? Eh, no, no, not really" Zoom shook his head.

"Really Zoom?" Jessica quirked, raising an eyebrow, "I heard that you've got eyes for a certain someone"

At that, everybody looked at Zoom. Some confused and some happy.

"Oh? And who might that be?" His step-dad asked.

"Er….What do you mean Jessica? I don't have eyes for anybody" Zoom replied nervously.

"You're a bad liar you are" Aunt Silvia commented.

The others nodded in agreement.

"Aw, come on Zoom! At least tell your favorite brother" Zen pleaded.

Zoom rolled his eyes, "You're my only brother Zen"

"Fine. At least tell Jessica, your favorite cousin!" Zen said again.

"Zen, Jessica's my only cousin" Zoom said.

"Oh, right. But still, tell us!" Zen begged.

"And anyways, I told you, I don't like anybody" Zoom pressed.

"That's what she said" Jessica muttered.

Zoom glared at her, "I heard that!" He snapped.

"What?" Jessica asked innocently, "It's really what she said"

"What do you mean 'she'?" Zoom asked, looking at her.

"She as in Emerald, Zoom" Jessica smirked.

"Wait, Emerald, you mean the girl that came yesterday?" His step-dad asked.

Jessica squealed, "She came? Then that means it is true!"

"What's true?" Zoom asked dryly.

But Jessica ignored him.

'Oh boy,' Zoom thought, 'This is gonna be one looong family reunion'

"That reminds me of something," His step-dad started.

"What?" The whole family chorused.

"See, before Zoom and Zen's da-mom died" He corrected the 'dad' part quickly.

"Yes?"

"She left a will, and in that will, she wanted her kids to join an academy for Muay Thai fighting, she already talked to the teacher before"

"And?"

"Your letters came today" He finished, taking out 2 envelopes and handing them to Zoom and Zen.

They carefully grabbed it and read it over. Once they were done, they looked at each other, than at their (step) dad, then back to each other again.

"Well, what does it say?" He asked, curiously.

"YES! They accepted me!" Zen screamed.

"They accepted me too" Zoom said, calm.

"That's such good news for both of you" Their uncle said.

"Ah, but we have good news too" Their aunt smiled.

"What?" The brothers chorused.

"I'm going with you guys too!" Jessica chirped.

The boys groaned.

"Well, let's finish dessert first, then you boys and Jessica can go talk about the academy. How does that sound?" Their aunt asked kindly.

"Sounds good to me" Zen beamed.

"No problem" Jessica grinned.

"Okay" Zoom finished lamely.

'Me, Zen, and Jessica? This is gonna be bad, but why do I feel that this is going to be the opposite of it?' Zoom thought.

A girl with emerald flashed in his mind. But he shook his head and shook the thought off.

**Okay, so Shina's (Zoom and Zen's mom) will said that she wanted her sons to join an academy for Muay Thali fighting and before she died she already talked to the teacher about enrolling her boys. The teacher accepted, and the teacher sent letters inviting them to the academy, same thing with Jessica.**


End file.
